clepsydra

[klep-si-druh]

noun

plural

clepsydras, clepsydrae 

1. an ancient device for measuring time by the regulated flow of water or mercury through a small aperture.

clepsydra

/ ˈklɛpsɪdrə /

noun

1. Also called: water clock. an ancient device for measuring time by the flow of water or mercury through a small aperture

Word History and Origins

Origin of clepsydra¹

1640–50; < Latin < Greek klepsýdra, equivalent to kleps- ( klep-, stem of kléptein to steal, conceal + -s- formative in derivation) + hydra, derivative of hýdōr water

Word History and Origins

Origin of clepsydra¹

C17: from Latin, from Greek klepsudra, from kleptein to steal + hudōr water

Example Sentences

Empedocles performed his experiment with a household implement people had used for centuries, the so-called clepsydra or “water thief,” which was used as a kitchen ladle.

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The clepsydra, or water clock, was also used to record time during the night, and was perhaps the most accurate timekeeping device of the ancient world.

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“It is the age-old principle of the clepsydra.”

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The clepsydra became in Greece a useful instrument to enforce the law in restricting loquacious orators and lawyers to reasonable limits in their addresses.

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It was invented by the Egyptians, and was called a clepsydra, and was in use among the Babylonians, the Greeks, and the Romans.

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